Bioware Writer Defends Sexuality of Dragon Age II

From “SexBox” to claims that Mass Effect 2 was anti-gay, Bioware can't seem to escape controversy over their handling of sex and sexuality. With Dragon Age II, fans are desperate for a new target, and one Bioware forumgoer has complained that the game doesn't offer enough options for straight male gamers. File this one under first-world problems.

User "Bastal" is arguing that the straight male romance options in the game (excluded here to avoid spoilers) are too exotic: “They appeal to a subset of male gamers and while its true you can't make a romance option everyone will love ... it seems like they weren't even going for an option most males will like." Seems like a fair enough complaint, right? Maybe not: “I'll be generous and assume that 5% of all Dragon Age 2 players are actually homosexuals. Are you really telling me that you could not have written another straight romance that would have pleased more than 5% of your fans?”

David Gaider, a lead writer at Bioware, offered a measured response to the issue in the forums. “The romances in the game are not for 'the straight male gamer.' They're for everyone,” he said. “We have a lot of fans, many of whom are neither straight nor male, and they deserve no less attention. We have good numbers, after all, on the number of people who actually used similar sorts of content in DAO and thus don't need to resort to anecdotal evidence to support our idea that their numbers are not insignificant ... and that's ignoring the idea that they don't have just as much right to play the kind of game they wish as anyone else. The 'rights' of anyone with regards to a game are murky at best, but anyone who takes that stance must apply it equally to both the minority as well as the majority. The majority has no inherent 'right' to get more options than anyone else.”

I couldn't have said it better myself. Who cares if the love interests don't appeal to your particular set of values? The game is an RPG, so try playing a different role! Not to mention you can be damn sure that if you're fighting monsters and spending every hour of your day covered in blood, whoever is willing to fight alongside you probably isn't the person of your dreams. I'm glad to see this issue put to rest so succinctly by Mr. Gaider.

About The Author

Joe Donato
Video games became an amazing, artful, interactive story-driven medium for me right around when I played Panzer Dragoon Saga on Sega Saturn. Ever since then, I've wanted to be a part of this industry. Somewhere along the line I, possibly foolishly, decided I'd rather write about them than actually make them. So here I am.